


To Love Again

by IGottacaseofOTPFeels



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types, 美男高校地球防衛部LOVE! | Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu LOVE!
Genre: M/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-11-17 11:04:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11274150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IGottacaseofOTPFeels/pseuds/IGottacaseofOTPFeels
Summary: When you save your unconscious best friend from two somewhat pretentious enemies, you would like some thanks right?Well you can't expect much if they don't know what happened.After a roller-coaster of a journey trying to find a way to wake up a certain club member, they can finally come to terms with the aftermath of the accident that took place.For some that's a lot easier said than done.But it's not all bad, when you make new friends out of it right?(Sequel to A Second Chance)





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey it's been a while but I have finally got the first few chapters ready for this story!  
> I'm so glad all of you enjoyed A Second Chance and supported me throughout it, I hope you enjoy this one too! There's loads to be revealed and more interactions between characters. 
> 
> So Enjoy the first chapter of the sequel to A Second Chance!  
> ~Psst, you might need to re-read the last chapter of it to understand this one.

Grey eyes stare at the brunette in confusion and slight shock, judging by what is currently happening – this is her friend that’s hugging Ryuu in the middle of the room. Though the brunette seems just as confused as she stares at the young stock broker with a similar look. But they’re not the only ones confused, with the exception of the two hugging currently, everyone else hasn’t a clue what is going on.

Io almost wants to ask, ‘What are you doing here?’ but he knows that’s a senseless question. It’s clear enough that whoever the ginger haired boy is, lead them all here. But how and why?

Part of Io is happy that her friend is up and looking somewhat well now, he did feel bad when he didn’t see her around much to catch up with her. He assumes that the brother of this ginger haired boy, is the one standing with the most bewildered look on his face – which also happens to be identical to the ginger haired boy hugging Ryuu. In other words, Twins.

Io moved to stand sometime after the intrusion, seeing as this friend of Haruhi’s (Kaoru was it?) didn’t seem to see him sat where he was when he rushed to Ryuu’s side. Almost as if he was blind to everyone but Ryuu.

Everyone is snapped out of any thoughts, or hugs, they’re having when a voice speaks up. “What the heck is going on here?”

The other twin that’s _not at_ Ryuu’s side.

“It’s us who should be asking that question” Akoya says, the frown still on his face as he crosses his arms. The other twin looks just as annoyed as Akoya, for whatever reason that may be.

Everyone looks at the two teens in the middle of the room, awaiting an answer.

“It’s a long story” Ryuu mumbles, tiredly lifting his hand to run it through his hair. ‘ _Of course they’d be confused, Kaoru and I have never met in real life before_ ’ he thinks to himself.

 

“Oh what a cute animal! Is that a wombat?!” a little boy? Asks. Their attention is drawn to the small blonde boy who rushes over to Yumoto with a big, wide, excited eyes.

It’s then that the Earth Defence Club Members and the student council remember about the alien creature currently present in the room. Their expressions turn to one of worry as they all think of something to tell the strangers that probably know nothing about aliens and magical powers. Come to think of it, they look like they’re fairly wealthy.

 

“He is! This is Wom-san!” the taller blonde responds holding the creature out, his peers watch him cautiously making hand gestures at the pink wombat telling him not to speak. Of course the creature already knew this.

“Wow he’s so cute! I’ve never seen a pink wombat! He’s so soft too!”

The club members and student council can’t help the sigh at how a like these two blonde boys are, if anything they would say the big eyed one is a smaller version of Yumoto himself.

“I know right!”

En decides to get back to the matter that is present by clearing his throat, the two boys look up before realising the situation once more. “How about someone explains, how Io and Ryuu seem to know these people?” he asks, noticing the stares Io was giving the brown haired person.

“Io-san and I have met here a few times whilst we came to visit” the brunette explains, Io nodding along - slightly glad she didn’t go into too much detail. Going to an all-boys school, the others would probably tease him about walking into the same girl twice – at some point anyway.

Once again, they all look back to Ryuu and Kaoru.

The ginger haired boy has taken a seat beside Ryuu, both teens looking like they don’t want to be apart any longer. Io has to swallow the jealously of seeing Ryuu so close with someone else, as well as the guilty feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Unaware of this, Ryuu looks over at Kaoru, as if for confirmation that they’re going to explain what happened. He wonders if this seems at all surreal to Kaoru, or if he’s experienced something weird like Ryuu has – being a battle lover and all.

Judging by one of Kaoru’s friends? It seems they haven’t dealt with magical things and alien creatures. So how would his friends believe the story? Are they even allowed to tell other people about this?

' _Dammit, I should have asked Carla before I left’_ Ryuu thinks to himself. Come to think of it, how long ago has that been? It feels like forever for some strange reason.

“Are we allowed to tell people about the Hospital for souls?” the pinkette whispers in Kaoru’s ear, deciding to think about _that_ later. Said teen biting his lip as he thinks back to his time there, he remembers talking to someone about this. But what did they say?

 

_‘Most people forget their time here, they lose all memory of it. It’s probably a good thing really, it helps them to move on with their lives and not get into trouble. Those who are lucky enough to remember, rather keep it to themselves anyway’_

 

“Maybe we should keep quiet about it for now” Kaoru whispers back, thinking it’s best to play it safe. Who would believe them anyway? Certainly not his friends.

Ryuu nods giving the younger teen a look that says ‘You make up the story’, he doesn’t know that much about Kaoru’s life to make up a lie about how they met. Furthermore he doesn’t want to look like a fool in front of everyone if he gets something completely wrong.

Kaoru sighs turning back to the crowd in Ryuu’s hospital room, “We um started talking on this app…and found we had a lot of the same interests. So, um after we talked for a good while, we decided to meet up some time ago. And eventually we became close friends”

That’s better than what Ryuu could come up with for sure, he knows that Io can tell when he’s lying. And it’s the most frustrating thing now that he can no longer look the green haired teen in the eye without feeling his heart break.

As for Kaoru, he avoids all eye contact with any of his friends, and especially Hikaru. Being twins that only cared about each other for the majority of their life, he knows that Hikaru knows him better than he knows himself. Just like he does for Hikaru. Meaning, the older twin sure as hell knows when he’s lying.

But after everything that’s happened, Kaoru has learnt to be somewhat of a good actor. So he hopes Hikaru chooses this moment to be oblivious, like always, and not notice how he just made up a story.

“That doesn’t explain how you knew he was in this room, or that he was in hospital.” Haruhi points out, Kaoru almost sighs. He forgot how Haruhi has a knack for noticing things.

“Can we just drop it for now? I’m feeling quiet tired again and I think I interrupted something with Ryuu” He responds, the second part being true but the first an excuse as he couldn’t think of anything else to say. And he rather not start panicking over something like this in front of strangers – or anyone.  

Thankfully the group agree to lay of the subject for now, instead Yumoto suggests they should all introduce themselves. Much to Akoya’s dismay, _‘These brats couldn’t be any ruder just intruding without the decency to knock’_ He thinks to himself, the frown not leaving his face.

 

Eventually everyone in the room has introduced themselves, Hikaru can’t help the look of annoyance on his face at everything that’s going on. (And the kid who goes by the name of Yumoto staring at him and Kaoru with a weird look)

Kaoru is reluctant to leave the pinkette’s side, but he can see how tired the older boy looks as his head slowly falls to rest on his shoulder. Just like when they were souls.

He finds himself smiling as he takes Ryuu’s hand in his, missing the look his brother gives him. As well as Io.

Ryuu smiles too, gently squeezing Kaoru’s hand struggling to stay awake.

 

The atmosphere is slightly awkward and tense, but instead of thinking of that the two think about how happy they are to see each other. More than anything wishing they were alone so it wouldn’t be so weird.

Being alive again is gunna take some getting used to it seems.

 

“I’ll come back and give you my number when you’re feeling more awake” Kaoru whispers to the pinkette, hoping he doesn’t take it in the wrong way. After all they’ve been through together, Kaoru rather not lose contact with Ryuu.

Luckily, the pinkette is too tired to fully listen to what he said and just nods. Hoping that’s the right answer to whatever the taller teen had said.

It’s quiet for a short while, the two short blonde teens have made conversation again over the fluffy pink wombat. The black haired guy – Kyoya – stepped outside a moment ago to talk to the doctor who asked why there was so many people in the room.  Io’s come to realise that Ryuu probably isn’t going to speak to him for good while, and sadly decided to catch up with Haruhi. Trying his hardest not to look over at the teen he once called his best friend.

En bites his lip suspecting there’s something more to his kouhai and this Kaoru guy than they’re letting on, that story of theirs didn’t sound all that convincing. And the question that Haruhi person asked was something he too was wondering. But he decides to keep quiet for now, sitting in the seat he was once on beside Atsushi.

Akoya, too, eventually sits down. Keeping an eye on his brother and the intruders. He’s never heard of this Kaoru person before, and Ryuu spends most his time with Io. So when exactly did this new friendship blossom?

With his arms still crossed, he simply decides to wait until everyone has gone.

 

Eventually Ryuu gives in to sleep, with his head on Karou’s shoulder and his hand still in the younger boy’s.

Nothing different to what they did before, in the ‘Hospital for souls’


	2. Chapter 2

>   _Ryuu quickly walks out the school building deciding not to go to the clubroom, he’s glad that no one is around to question him. He’s especially glad that Kenji is nowhere to be found._
> 
> _Just thinking of the taller boy has him feeling sick, at least today it seems he can get away from the pervert._
> 
> _He doesn’t think much of where he’s going, he knows his feet will just lead him to the school gates for him to leave. But any thought of that soon disappears, as he soon comes to a stop._
> 
> _He feels his heart drop and maybe break in the process, he doesn’t know what all the emotions swirling around him are. For some reason he can’t take his eyes off what he’s seeing, despite feeling like he’s going to burst with some negative emotion. Blinking doesn’t seem to help, they’re still there. Kissing._
> 
> _Io and a blue haired teen named Ichiro._
> 
> _It’s only when his said ‘best friend' looks over at him that he seems to be able to control his body again. He doesn’t look back or think twice as he starts running, wanting to be as far away from this place and people as he can._
> 
> _**Too much** is going on._
> 
> _His vision is blurry from tears and the only thought that comes above everything, is the scene he just witnessed._
> 
> _Someone is calling his name, but its faint – drowned out by his own loud sobs and heavy breathing. He doesn’t know where he’s going, he can’t see anything, in all honesty he doesn’t care._
> 
> _“RYUU STOP PLEASE STOP WATCH OUT”_
> 
> _He feels himself slowing down in slight confusion, he manages to blink away his tears – which keep falling – as he turns to face the person calling his name. ‘Watch out? Watch out for what?’_
> 
> _Before he can identify who’s calling him and where he is, a loud beep of a horn is heard._
> 
> _The pinkette turns to face it, his eyes instantly widening in fear when his brain comprehends what’s about to happen. But his body doesn’t react fast enough._
> 
> _The collision is excruciating._
> 
> _He doesn’t even get the chance to scream. Darkness is taking over in seconds, the last thing he hears before it wins is a scream of his name._

 

Ryuu sits up with a terrified gasp all too close to being a scream. His hands are shaking and he’s breathing heavily. For some reason his sight is blurry as he tries to grasp what is going on.

Some parts of him do hurt, but nothing like when…when the _truck_ collided with him at a high speed.

He’s not dead.

How is he not dead?

 

“Ryuu! Hey breathe it’s okay, can you hear me?”

The pinkette’s head turns to the direction of the voice, realising that the reason his vision is blurry is because the tears rolling down his face. He manages to blink a few of them away to be able to look at the owner of the voice, slightly confused as to who they are.

But he nods in reply to their question regardless.

They seem relieved, “Good, now breathe. Everything’s okay now” they say reaching out to hold one of his shaking hands.

The pain is getting more noticeable now but he worries about getting his breathing under control more than the pain.

Whoever this person is, their touch feels familiar. Ryuu coughs a little, feeling the pain intensify a little more. But it’s still tolerable.

 

Eventually his breathing is under control again, but his hands are still shaking in the slightest bit. He sniffles not bothering to wipe his eyes just yet, instead he stares up at the person holding his hand still wondering who they are.

They look and feel so familiar, he feels like he’s been through this before. When he knows the person but he just…can’t remember.

“W-who are y-you?”

The grip on his hand tightens, as the long haired person freezes in shock? The pinkette feels bad that he can’t remember who they are, they look so…worried? Sad? Scared?

“Y-You’re j-joking right?” they ask, their voice wavering as they let out a forced laugh.

Ryuu continues to stare at the person, by now his tears have died down. For the long haired person, it seems they take his silence as an answer. “R-Ryuu…It’s me.” they say, visibly gulping.

“A-Akoya” they continue, blinking back their own tears.

 _‘Akoya’_ Ryuu thinks to himself, looking down at his hand in the peach haired boy’s. _‘I know that name’_

 

His eyes travel back up so he’s staring into the blue eyes filled with worry, fear and tears.

The sound of a door opening has them both looking over in that direction, to find an older woman walking in with a bag filled with something. When she notices the looks on their faces, her expression too turns to worry.

“What’s happened?” she asks quickly walking over, after staring at her for a short while Ryuu recognises her to be his grandmother. “Akoya?” She asks, Ryuu looks over at the boy standing with tears visibly rolling down his face.

Now he feels awful that he can’t seem to remember him, the sight of him crying is something he never wants to see again. He feels like Akoya isn’t one to cry, so that means he must know the peachy pink haired boy.

For some reason he feels sad when the blue eyed boy lets go of his hand to cup his mouth as he shakes his head, his grandmother walks over to him confused and worried as to what is going on.

“H-He…He doesn’t r-remember m-me” he cries letting the older woman take him into her arms, Noa too feels her heart drop at his words as she looks over at Ryuu.

Sat confused and tear stained on the bed.

“Strawberry, do…do you really not remember Akoya?” She asks in disbelief, the teen looks down biting his lip. A small shake of the head is the answer to her question, and she finds herself gasping quietly.  “D-do you know who I am?” she asks, trying her best to comfort the boy in her arms at the same time.

“Baba-chan” the teen says quietly, slowly raising his head to look at the woman. She feels guilty at the relief that flows through her, as she nods her head.

“Ryuu, sweetie think harder about Akoya”

Ryuu’s certain he’s felt like this before, when he knows someone. He knows that he was close with that person, he knows they’re important in his life but he can’t remember. He _can’t_ remember who they are.

 

Frustrated tears well up in his eyes, quickly spilling over.

Akoya pulls away from Noa to face the pinkette once again, “R-Ryuu-” he starts before taking a shaky breath. “I-I’m your brother”

>  
> 
> " _Someone I know likes flowers”_
> 
>  
> 
> _“Really?”_
> 
>  
> 
> _The pinkette looks up in confusion, “Huh?”_
> 
>  
> 
> _“You said someone you know likes flowers”_
> 
>  
> 
> _“I did? Oh it just came out I wasn’t even thinking of it”_
> 
>  
> 
> _“One step closer to remembering things aye?”_
> 
>  
> 
> * * *
> 
>  
> 
> _“Dammit I feel like there’s someone like Hikaru in my life but I can’t remember”_
> 
>  
> 
> * * *
> 
>  
> 
> _“Where’s Akoya?”_
> 
>  
> 
> _“Hello baba-chan”_
> 
>  
> 
> _“Hello dear come give me a hug”_
> 
>  
> 
> _Ryuu looks at the boy with bubble-gum coloured hair, “That’s your older brother, Akoya” his father explains._
> 
>  
> 
> _Ryuu’s eyes light up_
> 
>  
> 
> * * *
> 
>  
> 
> _“Come on Niisan! I wanna show you what I did!” exclaims the shorter boy, blue eyes just watch Ryuu’s dirty hands._
> 
> _“It looks like you just rolled around in dirt” the taller of the two comments, following his brother outside none the less._
> 
> _“I didn’t! Look!” says the brown eyed boy. Following the direction the small boy is pointing in, the blue eyed boy finds a flower planted where it wasn’t before. To be more specific his favourite flower._
> 
> _‘So this is what he spent all morning doing?’ He can’t help the warm feeling flowing through him and the heart filled act, feeling himself grin. He doesn’t think much of the dirt and mud covering his younger brother as he pulls him into a hug, whispering a ‘thank you’ into his hair._

 

Ryuu’s eyes widen as he finds himself staring at the two with his mouth slightly ajar. How could he forget his own brother? Well his half-brother but his brother none the less.

Now he understands what Akoya must be feeling, and now Ryuu feels terrible. How could he forget Akoya? Everything was fine a few days ago. He didn’t forget anything.

The feeling of knowing but not recognising Akoya makes sense now, it happened when he was a soul. When he had his memories taken away.

But it’s been days since then, he was starting to get used to waking up in the real world hospital _alive_. Kaoru even came back and gave him his number like promised, the younger teen still having to stay in hospital until the doctors are sure he’s okay.

Ryuu feels more tears spill over his eyes, “S-sorry, I-I’m so s-sorry Niisan” he whispers a sob threatening to escape his mouth.

“W-wait, do…do you remember me now?” Akoya asks wiping his tears with the sleeves of his cardigan, the brown eyed teen nods his bottom lip trembling ever so slightly.

Akoya can’t describe how relieved he feels, as he quickly engulfs Ryuu in a hug.

Ryuu slowly wraps his arms around his brother, ignoring the pain that hasn’t left just yet, as he hides his face in the older teen’s shoulder.

He hopes this doesn’t happen again, he doesn’t want a repeat of having to remember everyone again like back at the hospital for souls.

He’s scared that if he can’t remember them here, in the real world, then…

He’ll forget them for good.


	3. Chapter 3

Ryuu sits staring at the blank wall in front of him.

No one else is the room with him, leaving him lost alone in thought.

He’s been told that it’s been around 5 days since he’s woken up from the coma he was in, to be honest Ryuu still hasn’t gotten used to being _alive_ again. He doesn’t hurt as much as he thought he would, in fact by the end of the week he’d probably say he’s fine.

It seems being in the hospital for souls really was a second chance, it allowed him not to suffer as much as he should of if he were to survive the collision. Kaoru seems fine too, Ryuu can’t help but wonder how long the ginger haired teen was awake for before he woke up.

The pinkette still can’t believe that he’s met Kaoru in the real world, he honestly thought he’d never see the younger boy again. But it seems Kaoru remembered the way to his room, and came straight here when he found out the Ryuu was here. If that’s the case, Ryuu would be able to find his way around the hospital just fine.

 

Though this is so different to being a soul, being a soul meant you were literally invisible with no presence what so ever. No one would know if you were walking around, because your real body would be in the hospital bed.

But it’s nice being conscious again, he can touch things, feel things and see his family and friends properly again. Luckily for him, his parents will be around for a while before they go back to work. It’s been too long since they’ve spent quality time together, honestly Ryuu was starting to forget what they looked like.

 

As for what happened yesterday.

He still feels awful, no awful isn’t even the right word to describe how he feels. How did he forget Akoya? His half-brother of all people. Sure they didn’t get along all that well and he didn’t speak to him much before the accident, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t secretly care about the older boy. There were times when they were growing up that Ryuu actually looked up to Akoya (he still does literally).

 

It actually hurt him to see his brother cry, because Akoya’s a strong person. Akoya doesn’t cry, crying isn’t _beautiful._ Crying is something that Ryuu honestly didn’t think Akoya could do.

But there he was almost sobbing over the fact Ryuu couldn’t remember him.

That’s all the pinkette has been thinking about, as he sits in the room he’s very familiar with. What if he forgets someone else? What if he doesn’t remember them again in the end, and he’ll forever feel like he knows them but he just can’t remember? How would that person feel?

According to his doctor, memory loss is something that can occur for people who have been in a coma and are lucky enough to wake up. Though they do tend to remember after a while, or with someone helping them to.

His doctor also informed him of his condition, how he did have broken ribs and he might have to do another scan to see if they’ve healed. He still has the cast on his left wrist, which should be removed in around 2 weeks or so. They also said that he might suffer from seizures, which is just _great_. Note the sarcasm.

 

As his recovery seems to be going pretty well, there’s a high chance he’ll be able to leave fairly soon. Which he’s somewhat excited about, but also sad as this place (as weird as it sounds) is almost like a second home to him. Although it’s a hospital, he’s shared a lot of good memories in the hospital for souls with Kaoru and built a strong friendship with him. He’s met people like Ristu ( _the sweetheart, he hopes she gets everything she wants because she deserves it),_ and Carla who he knows he’ll never forget.

Sometimes it feels like they’re watching over him (and Kaoru), which is a nice thought.

He’ll have to find a way to secretly say goodbye before he leaves, and hopes it gets to them.

But for now it seems he has to focus on the issues in real life.

Like the fact that he actually has to face everyone again. Don’t get him wrong, he missed everyone dearly and he’s glad to see them again. But let’s not forget the reason he’s currently in hospital.

 

He’s not just going to blame Io, that’s just low even though he doesn’t particularly like the boy at the moment. But Io did play a big part in this, then again so did a certain brunette that goes by the name of Masahiko.

 

Yesterday he dreamt of the accident, and woke up terrified. This was the same day he almost forgot his brother.

He’s sure that it’s going to be hard to move on from that, after all he did get hit by a truck. A speeding truck, not many can say that.

 

The scene just takes over as soon as he falls asleep, then if it’s not that then - it’s a different nightmare, or Masahiko. He misses the days where he could fall asleep in the hospital for souls and dream about his life so he would remember things, instead its constant nightmares.

If he wasn’t tired before, he most certainly is now.

Maybe they could give him something for that?

 

“Ume”

Ryuu glances over at the door hearing a voice, smiling a little when he sees Kaoru. ‘ _Of course he’s the only one that calls me after flowers and food’_ he thinks to himself as Kaoru walks further into the room, the door closing behind him.

“All alone today?” the ginger haired teen asks, sitting beside Ryuu on the bed once the older boy had moved over.

“It seems so” the pinkette replies his right hand fiddling with the cast on his left. “Where’s Hikaru, he’s always with you?” Ryuu asks noticing that the older twin is nowhere to be seen, and from what he remembers at the hospital for souls – Hikaru almost never left Kaoru’s side at the hospital.

Did something happen between them? “He went home” Kaoru responds, the look on his face answering Ryuu’s question.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” the pinkette asks, reaching out to hold the taller teen’s hand. Who shrugs with a sigh,

“It’s nothing really” he mumbles.

 

The two boys have been thinking of story to tell their friends that seems believable and would answer most their questions, because eventually they’ll start questioning them again. And both boys know it’s better to keep this to themselves.

 

Sensing Kaoru’s discomfort, he squeezes the teen’s hand comfortingly before deciding to change the subject. “When are you leaving?”

“The doctors say maybe by the end of this week” Kaoru replies, sending a thankful look at the teen when he realises what he did. The said teen finding himself frowning,

“So soon?”

Kaoru nods. “Yeah but you’ll be out soon too, we can meet up outside the hospital” he suggests, earning a small nod in reply.

 

Kaoru only has few noticeable scrapes and healing bruises now, his broken ribs healed themselves whilst he was in a coma. The doctors have told him he’s anaemic, which wasn’t much as a surprise to him as he hasn’t been eating properly or at all before he fell into a coma. But after he woke up, he wasted no time in asking for food. Although it seems his body isn’t that used to it as he gets full quite quickly, so he’s been told to take it slow.

Apparently the reason for his coma was oxygen deprivation in other words he suffered an anoxic brain injury. Total lack of oxygen to the brain, and his low blood levels was not a good combination with it.

If there is something that’s noticeable when you look at Kaoru (without long sleeves or something covering it) is the scars on his arm. Ryuu wanted to ask about it but he decided to stay quiet for now. They’re scattered on both arms, some deep and some faint. Being around Kaoru for a while now, Ryuu doesn’t think Kaoru is the type to do that. But he can’t just make assumptions like that.

So he doesn’t say anything.

 

“It’s going to be weird leaving the hospital” Ryuu mumbles.

Kaoru looks around, knowing that is very true. He’s been here at lot longer than Ryuu, he practically knows everyone in the hospital for souls and he’s made so many memories here. Of course it’s going to be hard to actually leave the hospital after all of that, for a hospital he’s had quite a great time here. Like a second home really.

He’s really going to miss it, something he never thought he’d say about a hospital.

 

“Yeah and it’s not like we can visit either” Kaoru says with a sigh.

“I guess we’ll just have to keep what happened here in our hearts so it lives on” Ryuu says, Kaoru laughs.

“Oh wow I never expected you to say that” he says through his laughter, Ryuu rolls his eyes finding himself laughing too.

“But yeah, I guess you’re right” Kaoru says once they calm down. “We just need to remember everything that happened there”

Ryuu hums, nodding his head in agreement.

Hopefully Carla and everyone will remember them too.

>~<

 

For some reason, the cries of complaint coming from Wombat don’t add to the normal tranquil atmosphere the club room has any more. Maybe it’s because they’re still missing a member, or maybe it’s because Io is sat with a troubled face as he stares blankly at his laptop screen.

He hasn’t said a word since he greeted everyone when they came in, even then it was a half-hearted greeting.

It isn’t hard to guess why Io is like this, Atsushi and En are sure they know exactly what is wrong with their kouhai. Yumoto seems content having Wombat back to cuddle, but he does occasionally glance over at the older boy wondering what could be wrong.

 

En is still trying to figure out the deal with this Kaoru guy, and the rest of the host club. Part of En wants to make a joke about Ryuu being involved with a host club, but he refrains from doing so.

He and this Kaoru guy are obviously quite close, holding hands and the none stop hugging when they were ‘reunited’.

The story that they met over an app kinda makes sense, if you were to say that the person Ryuu’s always texting isn’t girls and it’s Kaoru. But for some reason En doesn’t believe it, and Kaoru’s friends don’t seem to believe it (Well the tall blonde guy almost appeared to be the most confused) either.

 

“Oh Io, Kin-chan asked if you were going to visit Ryuu today. Akoya wants to know” Atsushi says, remembering what his childhood friend had asked.

That seems to snap the green haired teen out his thoughts, “I’m not sure yet” he replies quietly.

Atsushi bites the inside of his cheek as he looks over at his boyfriend, the dirty blonde sharing a knowing look with the glasses wearing teen. They both want to suggest that Io should go and try and explain everything that’s happened, but at the same time they shouldn’t force him.

 

Io sighs closing his laptop, being this distracted isn’t good for the FX market.

“I hope we meet the host club again, Honey-san was really cool!” Yumoto exclaims, pausing his cuddling session.

Io’s mind goes back to what he saw when Ryuu woke up. How close he and Kaoru were and how Ryuu wouldn’t even look at him.

The pinkette was even holding Kaoru’s hand, and Io couldn't help but think 'just how well do they know each other for Ryuu to hold a guy’s hand without a care?'

The young stock broker just shakes his head standing up, he doesn’t know what he’s going to do. The only thing he can do is just try and move on, because after all

Ryuu is awake, _alive_ and he seems to be happy with Kaoru.

So he shouldn’t interfere.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Arima watches the long haired teen sit quietly by the window, he knows something’s happened for Akoya to be _this_ quiet. Before you could see how relieved he was having his brother awake and _okay_ , but ever since a few days ago he’s been as quiet as a mouse.

He still seems to be taking good care of himself though, his face looking a little healthier and he no longer seems _very_ troubled. But Arima knows something _is_ wrong. It’s not only him that can see this, Kinshiro has noticed too. The sliver haired president sometimes keeping an eye out for their youngest member, or using his own ways of showing concern.

Yet Akoya just seems to brush it off saying he’s fine.

When Arima accompanies the shorter teen to the hospital, nothing seems to be wrong with Ryuu. He’s no longer deathly pale, his eyes are starting to look less dull and tired, and of course he’s not in a coma anymore. So it leaves Arima wondering what could be wrong with his long haired love, it can’t be his parents can it? No because they don’t leave until a little while longer, and Akoya seems to be glad about that at least.

The easiest solution would be to talk to the teen, but Arima feels he’d be a bit too blunt when talking to the boy. Kinshiro wouldn’t be any better.

Although it’s not just Akoya he’s noticed to be like this that Naruko from the Defence Club seems to be just as bad. Arima doesn’t know much about the Defence Club, he doesn’t pay them much attention really. Although, Yumoto seems to have taken a liking to him, and Atsushi seems to like him too. Other than that, it’s Kinshiro and Akoya who interact with the Defence Club the most. So he doesn’t know what could be wrong with Naruko, other than the fact that Zaō no longer seems to be as close to him. 

Surely everyone should have cheered up in the slightest now that the pinkette is awake. But for Naruko and Akoya, they seem just as gloomy when he was in a coma as they are now.

Feeling a tap to his arm, Arima looks up from his actions of pouring tea. Kinshiro simply nods in the direction of Akoya, without looking up from his paperwork. Knowing exactly what the president means, he finishes pouring the tea before walking over to the youngest member of the group.

Even in this negative mood he’s in, Akoya still manages to look as beautiful as ever. How he manages to pull it off, Arima will never know – but that won’t stop him from admiring the teen.

 

His voice comes out soft, but loud enough to gain the teen’s attention, when he says: “Akoya”

It takes a few seconds for the teen to glance over at him, his blue eyes looking semi annoyed that someone has distracted him from whatever he was doing.

It doesn’t take much thought to know that Arima wants to know what is going on, heck the long haired boy can even sense Kinshiro listening out for them. Akoya should be somewhat happy that they’re looking out for him and are showing concern, but for some reason he just isn’t in the mood for anything.

So before Arima can go on about ‘being worried for him’ or ‘are you okay?’ he decides to tell them flat out. He’s kept it to himself for a while now, the day it happened not leaving his head.

To think he was relieved when the pinkette woke up, he’s now got another reason to worry about the younger boy.

 

With a sigh, whilst not looking the vice president in the eye, he finds himself mumbling

“He didn’t know who I was. Ryuu _actually_ forgot about me”

>~<

 

Brown eyes look down at the plush toy in his hands, this toy has brought him a lot of comfort over the years. He’s had it since he was a small child, something he remembers having when both his parents were around. Sometimes it’s the only memory of the two being together that he actually has.

He wonders how his grandmother knew how to find it, he kept it hidden away until he actually needed its comfort. But then again he shouldn’t be so surprised, his grandmother seems to know him better than he knows himself.

 

It’s only him in the hospital again, and judging by the time his friends are still at school. His parents have to work from home for a little while so they can stay and spend time with him and Akoya, so he assumes that’s why they’re not here currently. And his grandmother left to go buy food as Ryuu’s gotten to experience just how bad hospital food happens to be.

So it’s just him and his thoughts.

 

Kaoru’s now left, as he’s been allowed to go home. He promised to come back and visit however. Along with promising to somehow sneak him to their secret place, from back when they were souls, so that they can say goodbye to this place properly.

That’s something to look forward to he guesses.

But this boredom is getting the best of him, there’s no one to talk to anymore. He can’t walk around and just enjoy Kaoru’s company like in the ‘Hospital for souls’ anymore. Then after he’s allowed to leave, he’ll be stuck at home for a short while until he’s well enough to go back to school.

 

School.

That’s something he hasn’t thought about in a while. He’s definitely missed a lot, he just hopes he doesn’t have to repeat a year. Maybe Akoya would help him catch up on the work he missed, it’s not like he’ll be amazing at it but at least he can maintain his just below average grades right?

 

He wonders if Kenji and the boy who shall not be named are still there. Causing trouble and spreading rumours. If that’s the case Ryuu might have to start thinking about ways to convince his parents to send him to another school. He _refuses_ to go back to Kenji and his horrible ways.

He doesn’t want this torment and harassment anymore.

He doesn’t want a repeat of what happened before the accident, because who knows how far Kenji will go this time. He’s already nearly taken it too far.

Just thinking about it has Ryuu feeling sick to the pits of his stomach, and his skin itching from all the places the brunette laid his filthy hands on him.

 

No. He’s already broken, and he’s not going to be shattered into tiny little pieces.

Shaking his head, Ryuu lets out shaky sigh. _‘Stop thinking about him’_ he thinks to himself, he has a feeling that if he thinks about him any longer he might just make himself sick.

Refraining from itching his skin, that’s beginning feel dirty again from his memories of Kenji, he grips the plush toy in his hands tighter. Letting out steady breaths to calm himself down.

 

“I remember when we got that for you”

A voice says, scaring the pinkette on the bed. It sounds familiar but at the same time he doesn’t think he’s heard this voice before. Ryuu’s head quickly turns in the direction of the door, staring at the ‘stranger’ as he tries to identify them.

His eyes soon widen at the thought of who it could be, and a small gasp escapes his mouth.

 

‘ _No it can’t be’_ he thinks to himself, wanting to shake away these thoughts _. ‘I haven’t seen…_ ’

He swallows clearing his thoughts enough to stutter out a response.

 

“M-Mom?”

 


	5. Chapter 5

Kaoru sits on his bed with his knees drawn up to his chest.

How long has it been now since he woke up from being a soul? It feels like months, but he knows there’s a high chance that’s not true.

It feels odd being in his room again, not the hospital room or the spare room. _His_ and Hikaru’s room. It’s been so long, it just doesn’t feel natural and comfortable anymore. He doesn’t feel glad to be in his own bed or home. It’s weird, _strange_. It almost doesn’t feel right.

Being a soul meant that he didn’t really need to sleep, so he never really did. Instead he would talk to the souls that were still ‘awake’ or he’d watch over his friends, in other words Ryuu.

 

It feels weird now that he’s alive again, he has to be in control of his body again. He has to feed himself and sleep for a healthy amount of time – which is proving harder than he thought.

It almost feels like he’s home sick, like he’s become so used to being in the hospital that he doesn’t know what it feels like to be home.

Now when he wakes up he doesn’t feel the weight of Ryuu’s head on his shoulder, or see his soft pink hair. He doesn’t see the familiar sight of their little room, or the blank look on Akio’s face. He doesn’t see Carla helping people out, or souls entering the ‘Hospital for souls’.

It doesn’t feel right.

He’s not a soul anymore, he has to face reality. He has to face real life things, people and situations. He has to face the fact that he won’t ever see some of the people he met as a soul, ever again.

 

His mind goes back to Akio, the day that he left. When he said that he would go to wherever death took him. The fact that he got a second chance and decided that life was just _that_ bad to just accept his death. It hurts because that was the first time he’s ever seen Akio grin, the first time the brunette ever laughed and showed so much emotion. Akio’s smile could cause plants to grow and people to stop fighting, he’s sure of it.

But he’s the only one that’s ever gotten to see that sight. No one will ever know how much of a great person Akio was, how didn’t deserve what happened to him. It hurts because Akio said he wished they had met in real life.

Akio was his first real, personal friend.

And now he’s gone.

 

Kaoru sniffles reaching up to wipe away his tears, Akio said to be happy. To remember him and that he’ll be watching over him. Akio wouldn’t like to see him crying over his death right now.

Kaoru laughs through his tears, he can picture Akio’s scowling face telling him to stop the crying. He can see Akio flicking him on the forehead and telling him to cheer up.

 

Wiping his tears away again, Kaoru stands up. He asked Kyoya to find out if Akio was in the same hospital as them, and made the black haired teen promise not to tell anyone he asked. It turns out he was but, obviously since he’s no longer here, he’s no longer at the hospital.

However Kaoru managed to find out where Akio’s body now lays, and it’s not too far from here. So he puts on his shoes and starts to make his way down the stairs of his house.

 

Hikaru has been forced to go to school again as he’s taken too much time off just to stay with Kaoru at the hospital. Meaning it’s really just Kaoru and the servants in the house today.

He’s kinda glad, he doesn’t know if he can face Hikaru just yet. He still needs time to get over everything that’s happened, he’s still having nightmares about the day of the ‘accident’.

So he’s avoiding everyone, just until he’s ready.

 

It’s easy for him to slip out the house, no one seems to notice his departure. He lifts his hood up heading in the direction he found out not too long ago.

 

Ryuu’s not out of hospital yet, he said it should be another day or two before he can leave. Meaning that Kaoru’s gonna have to find a way to sneak back into the hospital so they can both say good bye properly to the place that has become a second home to them.

To say Kaoru’s glad that Ryuu woke up is an understatement, a few days after Kaoru woke up he asked if there was someone here under the name of Zaō Ryuu. When the doctors informed him there was, he wasted no time in asking for his room number and dashed over there when he felt he could walk again without support. Ryuu didn’t choose to accept death, both their wishes of meeting each other in real life came true.

He can still hold the pinkette, he can feel his warmth now, he can hold his hand and know that they’re both okay. He hasn’t lost anyone else.

So Kaoru is most definitely going to stay in contact with Ryuu, hopefully they’ll still get to meet up too. And like he said at the hospital, if they both hold onto the memories they made at the ‘Hospital for souls’ then everything they had there will live on. The people they met won’t be forgotten and it all wouldn’t have been for nothing.

 

Soon enough, Kaoru finds himself at the destination he was hoping to end up.

The cemetery.

It takes him a short while to find where Akio lays, when he does he pulls his hood down. There’s some flowers already by his grave, showing that there were people in this world that cared about him. It was a shame they didn’t get to show it.

Kaoru feels bad that he didn’t bring any flowers for the boy, but he makes a mental note to do exactly that the next time he comes here.

He has to bite his lip to control the tears threatening to fall again as he reads the grave stone in front of him. Crouching down he slowly reaches forward, his fingers brushing over the cold stone. He forces a sad smile as his vision goes blurry from tears,

“H-Hey Akio” Kaoru says his voice shaky and heavy with sadness.

“It’s been a while”

He takes a deep breath, resting his hand flat against the stone. “Your wish came true…” he continues, his voice still wavering as he tries to keep strong. “We got to meet in real life” _but not in the way you wanted to_ – he wants to add.

He shifts so he’s sat down instead and says, “I’ve missed you, I wonder if you’ve missed me too”

The wind blows almost like a response, Kaoru weakly chuckles. “How’s life up there? I hope you’re getting treated well like you deserve” he says looking up at the sky.

 

“I did what you said, well I tried to...” he continues on, looking back down at the stone. “ _Don't miss me too much, yeah? Continue to be you, make more friends and do good._ You said”

Kaoru pauses to wipe his eyes, “I did the last part, but how can you expect me not to miss you? You goof, you were my first real friend”

 

_"Hey listen to me" says Akio releasing one of his hands from Kaoru's hold to gently cup one of Kaoru's cheeks. Wiping away some of his tears with his thumb,_

_"Whatever you choose to do, know that I'm supporting you. I hope you don't forget me, I'll always be watching over you. I promise."_

 

“I didn’t forget you” Kaoru says quietly, “I’ll never forget you” he adds on feeling the tears escape his eyes.

 

_"I promise I'll be watching over you, so do me proud yeah? Be happy for the both of us"_

 

“I hope you’re still watching over me” he croaks looking up at the sky once more, “I hope you’re proud of me”

A cold feeling runs through him, but it doesn’t feel bad. It feels like a presence, like someone’s standing behind him. And although he should feel scared by that, this presence is comforting.

The tears roll faster down his face, “I’m trying to be happy for the both of us like you said” he voice breaking as he tries not to sob. Licking his dry lips, he continues. “I even made a new friend”

He reaches up to wipe his face yet again, “His name’s Ryuu” despite his efforts of trying not to sob. A small one escapes his mouth. “He’s a bit like me”

 

“Maybe you would have liked him”

The wind blows again, Kaoru half sobs half chuckles. “I’m trying Akio, I’m trying not to cry…but I miss you so, so much”

He hides his face in his hands letting out another sob, then a sniffle “M-maybe I should bring him w-with me the next time I v-visit you”

 

For a short while Kaoru just sits quietly trying to compose himself. His mind going through all he’s been through with Akio as he does so.

When his sobs reduce down to small sniffles, he wipes his eyes standing up. “I’m such a cry-baby at times aren’t I?” he asks. “I guess that’s one of the many things that makes me, me”

He reaches forward to touch the stone again, “I’ll leave you alone now, I probably disturbed you with all my crying”

“I’ll visit again soon, have fun up there.” he whispers, gently rubbing circles on the stone.

“See you, Akio”

And with that he spares one last look at the flowers and the grave stone, before turning around and walking away.

 

The wind softly blows cold breeze, and the comforting presence slowly fades away.

Kaoru could have sworn he heard, _‘I miss you too’_ within the breeze. As he puts his hood up, he hopes to himself that he wasn’t imagining it.

 

And he doesn’t look back when he walks out of the cemetery, heading back in the direction of the place he _should_ call home.


	6. Chapter 6

“You were so happy and wouldn’t put it down, when bath time came around you even wanted to bring it with you” she says walking further into the room, Ryuu just stares at the woman in disbelief.

His mother is _not_ standing here after 11 years of him not seeing her. She _can’t_ be.

“One day when you lost it, you screamed and cried until we eventually found it. It’s safe to say nothing can replace that plush toy” she continues, stopping by his bed.

He remembers that too, he remembers that day almost clearly. He remembers feeling so upset and scared that he wouldn’t find it again, he remembers his parents starting to get stressed when they couldn’t find it and he wouldn’t stop crying. Thinking about it now, he feels kinda bad for them having to deal with him screaming over a toy. No wonder why his mother didn’t want him…

 

“It’s been a while, son”

Ryuu finally snaps out of whatever trance he was in, shuffling a little so he’s not as close to the woman he once called his mother.

Why is she here? How did she know he was here? Where has she been for the past 11 years?

“Why are you here?” Ryuu asks, letting it show in his voice that he isn’t particularly happy to see her. He sees her flinch a little, causing a small feeling of guilty to spread through him.

“I know you’re probably surprised to see me after so long, I’m surprised you actually know who I am” she says quietly. She looks different from when he was a child, she’s obviously aged since then and her hair is a little lighter than it was before. She overall looks guilty. Her brown eyes scanning him over making him feel slightly uncomfortable.

“You didn’t want me in your life, you made it clear. So why turn up after eleven years?” Ryuu asks, still trying to grasp the fact that his mother is standing in front him. The mother he grew up without because she made it clear she didn’t want a child. She made it clear she wasn’t so fond of him or his father anymore. She made it clear when he heard nothing from her at all.

“I...I wasn’t ready for a child and your father and I were having a lot of problems” she starts, as if Ryuu didn’t already know all of this. He was only 5, he didn’t know what was going on or why she hated him. Why she would shout at him or not feed him sometimes. It’s clear she wasn’t stable enough for a child.

“Believe me when I say that things have changed, _I’ve_ changed.”

Ryuu just stares at her with an unreadable look, _‘Is she asking to be part of my life again?_ ’ he thinks to himself before shaking his head. This is too much, he’s only been awake for a few days and yet he’s already got so much to deal with.

He’s still confused as to why his mother is here after years of her being absent from his life. What made her decide to come see him now when everything is already going wrong in his life? She’s just making things worse effectively, he’s now going to be thinking about her as well as other things.

She didn’t even knock before coming in, or check that he actually wanted to see her. No she just walked in and started telling a story.

“Why are you here?” he repeats, it’s as if she’s avoiding what needs to be said. She’s avoiding telling him what he deserves to know.

“I-the hospital called” she says, correcting herself at the beginning.

Ryuu isn’t convinced, if the hospital called why is she only just arriving? Why now of all times?

 

He sighs, thinking about this is giving him a headache. He has so many questions for her, he needs answers. He doesn’t know how to feel, how does someone normally feel after not seeing someone for 11 years? After being told that they no longer want you or like you?

This isn’t good on him after just getting over the fact that he almost forgot his brother, someone that means more to him than the woman in front of him.

“I guessed you wouldn’t be too thrilled to see me, but I just wanted to come and set things straight between us. I wanted to let you know what’s been going on and why I did what I did”

Ryuu looks down at the plush toy in his hands, he’s not sure if it can bring him any comfort now that his mother is actually here in front of him.

“I’ll leave if you want me to, I understand how you might feel right now. And I shouldn’t have left it so late, I’m sorry”

Slowly his eyes trail up to meet her brown eyes. Talking to her wouldn’t hurt, she seems genuinely guilty and upset. He got given a second chance at the Hospital for souls, maybe he should give her one too.

 

“I want to know why you did what you did but not right now, seeing you is just making me feel overwhelmed. But if you’re not going to leave again, then maybe you could tell me another time” Ryuu suggests, this feels so awkward. She’s practically a stranger to him, yet his own mother at the same time.

“I won’t be leaving for a while. I’m in the area for about a year or so”

Ryuu nods biting his lip, “I’ll leave you my number and when you feel like talking, you could message me?” she offers. He nods again, she sadly smiles writing it down on the note pad beside his bed.

 

“I’ll be taking my leave then” she says quietly, earning another nod in reply. “I’m happy that you’re up and well”

He almost forgot about the fact he’s in hospital, she didn’t mention anything about it when she walked in.

He’s about to nod once again, but the door opens before he can. They both look over at it, to see a certain pink haired boy walk in. He doesn’t seem to notice the woman at first but when he does he pauses in his steps.

And that’s when Ryuu remembers, Akoya doesn’t know his mother. He’s only ever heard of her and never seen her.

He must be so confused.

 

Ryuu watches as his mother and brother stare at each other, with different looks. His mother bites her lip, scanning Akoya up and down before glancing back over at him. She forces another smile before leaving without another word.

 

“Who was that?” Akoya asks walking over to the place he always sits when he comes to visit.

The pinkette notices that the energy around the taller boy seems to have changed, he no longer seems relieved and happy. Yet it looks like something is troubling him, and Ryuu can take a pretty good guess at what it might be.

“My mom…”

Blue eyes widen as he sits closer to the younger boy, “What?! That was your mom?” he asks in pure disbelief or shock. It’s hard to tell with Akoya sometimes.

“Yeah”

“Well what did she want? Why was she here?” he asks. Ryuu shrugs not in the mood to answer any more questions, “You haven’t seen her in years” Akoya continues trying to figure out exactly the same thing Ryuu is.

“I’m just as confused as you” Ryuu mumbles, letting himself relax against the bed and pillow. He notices that Akoya is still in school uniform meaning he probably hasn’t gone home yet. “Are you okay?” he asks, after a short while.

Akoya looks slightly surprised by the question, “I should be asking you that” he replies. “But yeah I guess so”

 

It’s nice to be able to sit with Akoya and not argue with him, not feel the negative atmosphere. They aren’t being forced to be together, Akoya voluntarily comes to visit him and keep him company. The fact the he cried and visited him almost every day pretty much proves how much Akoya _doesn’t_ hate him. They just had their fall outs.

Quite a lot.

 

“You know…as much as I said I hated you and as much as I thought you hated me…I didn’t want to forget you. You still mean a lot to me, so don’t think I’m just gunna let myself forget about you or anyone.”

Akoya sadly smiles, rolling his eyes to seem like his usual self. “Tch, brat. I know that”

Ryuu chuckles, “Then cheer up princess”

Akoya shakes his head, his smile no longer seeming so sad. ‘ _It’s so much nicer and easier to just be myself around him’_ he thinks to himself. Reaching forward he ruffles the younger boy’s hair gently, laughing at his attempt to bat him away with a pout.

‘ _You better not forget about me brat, I care about you too much_ ’


	7. Chapter 7

Today is the day that Ryuu is finally allowed to leave the hospital, he’s leaving it until later so everyone can make it to see him out – like they requested. So until then he’s waiting on a certain ginger haired teen, who should be here any minute now, for them to say goodbye to the place that became a second home to them.

Part of Ryuu is excited that he’s finally leaving and going home again after being sat in here in silence for so long, but another part of him really doesn’t want to go. He wants to stay and wonder around all the places he and Kaoru did as souls, he wants to meet up with Ritsu and do her hair for her, he wants to sit and talk with Carla for what felt like hours.

He’s really going to miss this place.

 

No one is here yet, his grandmother should be here in about an hour, and his parents a short while after that. Obviously his brother and friends are coming straight after school. So that gives Kaoru and him time to do what they need to do.

He wonders what would have happened if he woke up after this coma without having that second chance as a soul. Would his condition be worse than it is now? Because for someone who got hit by a truck he doesn’t feel that bad. Really he’s just one of those people who got off lightly.

He’s got medication should he feel any pain or discomfort, and the cast on his wrist has been taken off now. Even the doctors have said they’re amazed at his recovery and how he doesn’t seem to be affected by what happened to him. But they don’t know what’s been going on inside his head, the nightmares he has and the thoughts that take over when he’s left alone. Now that he knows that he got hit by a truck _specifically_ , and he remembers what happened it won’t leave his mind.

He might be okay physically but he isn’t at all mentally.

 

Sighing, Ryuu reaches over to grab his phone _. ‘I hope being at home will allow me not to think so_ much’ is the one thought he has, as he checks time about to wonder where Kaoru is.

Of course Kaoru choses that time to walk into the room with a smile on his face. “Just on time!” he says looking somewhat proud of himself, looking down at the time Ryuu sees that Kaoru is on fact on time. Rolling his eyes he chuckles.

It might take some getting used to seeing Kaoru in his own clothing, then again it will also take getting used to being in _his own_ clothing too.

Kaoru looks much better than he did laying on the hospital bed and when he came to visit him when he woke up. He’s no longer as pale and sickly looking, his eyes seem livelier and obviously he’s able to be up and about without support anymore. His hair also seems fluffier than before and it makes Ryuu want to run his hand through it to see if that’s actually the case.

“Don’t worry I managed to sort everything out, the doctors know you’ll be with me for a short while within the hospital. So they shouldn’t panic when they see you’re not where they left you” the ginger haired teen continues gesturing for Ryuu to come along.

“How did you do that?” the pinkette asks, shuffling to the edge of the bed before pushing himself off it. He changed into his own clothes earlier from the bag that his grandmother brought him the day before, so it shouldn’t really look strange that he’s walking around the hospital. But the wrist band, that signals he’s a patient here, is still on his wrist until he’s checks out of the hospital.

“You know the black haired guy that was part of the group that came with me when I came to see you? Kyoya. He’s part of a wealthy and influential family, his father manages and owns a lot of things. Healthcare being part of it, and this hospital just happens to fall under that” Kaoru explains, “So he helped me out” he finishes.

 _‘So he wasn’t lying when he said he was wealthy, even his friends are rich’_ Ryuu thinks to himself, walking over to the taller teen. ‘ _I guess that explains why his outfit looks somewhat expensive yet casual at the same time'_

“So what are we doing?” the pinkette asks following Kaoru out the room, the ginger haired teen noticing how he didn’t put his hairband on.

“I was thinking we would retrace our steps from when we were in the hospital for souls.” He says deciding not to mention it, ‘ _He’ll probably remember it later on anyway'_

Ryuu nods smiling slightly, a trip down memory lane huh?

 

No one seems to pay them much attention as they walk around, just as if they were souls again. It makes them both smile a little more to themselves.

Soon they’re at the place they first met, again it’s practically empty like before. Ryuu looks around remembering how on edge and confused he felt when he first woke up as a soul. Jumping when Kaoru speaks up again,

“I remember the scream you made when I first called out to you” he says the tone in his voice suggesting he’s trying not to laugh.

Ryuu gives him a half-hearted glare before giving in and laughing too, “I don’t scream like that normally, or at all for that matter. You just really scared me” the pinkette replies, Kaoru laughs a little more.

“Whatever you say”

Ryuu simply rolls his eyes, shaking his head with a small smile.

 

Kaoru leads the way to the next place they went after visiting Ryuu’s hospital room as a soul. The ginger haired teen seems to remember more about this place than Ryuu does, then again he has been here longer than Ryuu.

It doesn’t take long until they’re at another corridor, the pinkette finds himself wondering what they did here. Kaoru, seeing the confused look on Ryuu’s face, helps him out. “This is where you freaked out over sleeping on my shoulder for the first time”

A tint of pink slowly rises to Ryuu’s face when he remembers that moment, he would have preferred if Kaoru forgot about that. And the scream he made when they first met…

“Moving on” the older teen mumbles, linking arms with Kaoru and leading the way somewhere else. Kaoru chuckles and follows along.

He smiles when he realises that they’re at his old hospital room, empty for someone else to use. It seems Ryuu remembered where they went as souls too.

He finds himself remembering how he felt when he first woke up here, and where he went to find ‘help’. His smile slight falters at what he remembers next, biting his lip he averts his eyes from the room. ‘ _Maybe now would be a good time to tell Ryuu about Akio’_ he thinks to himself.

 

“What’s wrong?” the pinkette asks when he sees the sad look on the younger teen’s face. The look is quickly covered up by a forced smile, 

“Nothing” he says quietly.

Ryuu, knowing that’s not the case, reaches for Kaoru’s hand. Offering him some comfort, noticing how the forced smile turns into one of ‘thanks’.

“I wanna take you somewhere before we go to the next place” Kaoru says, his voice still quiet. Ryuu nods gesturing for him to lead the way. Whatever it is seems to mean a lot to the younger boy.

 

The walk there is silent, Karou’s biting his lip as if trying to refrain from doing something. It’s just another corridor, Ryuu recognises it to be the place where Kaoru brought him before he left.

 _‘Why would he want to go here first?’_ he thinks to himself, looking up at the teen for him to explain.

But Kaoru just looks down, his bangs covering his face. “This…this is where I met Akio” his voice coming out just above a whisper. Ryuu almost wants to ask who Akio is, until he realises that Akio is probably the friend Carla was talking about.

“A-Akio was my first ever _real_ friend. Even if we were souls at the time.” He continues.

“This…this is also the place that I last saw Akio”

Ryuu bites his lip, not knowing what to say. Akio clearly meant a lot to Kaoru, he could tell just by the way Carla described their friendship. This is the same Akio that decided to accept death rather than live on. This place meant so much to Kaoru that it was the same place he decided to tell Ryuu about his thirty days being over.

“He’s important to me and I realised I never told you about him…so I thought I should show you this place first. As we probably won’t be able to see it again…”

Ryuu knows that’s true, after this. They won’t be able to wonder around the hospital, they won’t be able to visit places they stayed before or hang out. Because this is a hospital.

The pinkette is somewhat glad Kaoru opened up about his previous friend, he was curious about him and what he’s like. And now he understands that this wasn’t just a random corridor that Kaoru lead him to when they were souls, he had meaning behind it.

Hearing a small sniffle from the ginger haired teen, he averts his attention to the boy once again. “Kaoru?” he asks softly, the taller teen sadly chuckles using his free hand to wipe away his tears.

“I’m fine, heh, I shouldn’t cry. He told me not to” the amber eyed boy says quietly.

Ryuu gently turns the teen so they’re facing each other. He still doesn’t know what to say, so he simply brings him into a hug. Feeling Kaoru slowly hug back, shaking slightly.

 

They stand there for a while, Ryuu trying his best to comfort the younger teen in his arms. Until eventually he calms down, and wipes his face.

“Sorry” he mumbles, with another sad chuckle. Ryuu shakes his head as if saying ‘don’t apologise or it’s okay’. No further speech is made between the two of them, instead they go back to holding hands and head in another direction.

The walk around the rest of the places they’ve been together slowly gets cheery again. Kaoru started to cheer up and when Ryuu noticed this they went back to talking again, sharing their memories of what happened in that particular place.

All the while still holding hands and sticking close to each other.

They almost forget that they’re no longer souls, and that people can actually see them. Though no one pays them any attention, and they’re not bothering anyone. So everything is fine.

 

Soon enough they’re at the last place they need to visit. The place where they’re finally going to say a proper goodbye. Both teens bite their lip when they walk into the room, nothing appears to have changed since they were last in it.

“It’s been a while” Kaoru mumbles letting go of Ryuu’s hand to look around.

Ryuu nods in agreement, also looking around. Out of all the places in the hospital, this place means the most to him. It’s where he and Kaoru could get away from everyone, it was there special place for only them. Even if they didn’t do much in it, they still shared a lot of memories here.

Lots of laughter, chatter, singing and joking, lots of comfortable silences and silly games.

Really this place means a lot to him because of Kaoru. Without Kaoru this room would just be a room. In fact, Ryuu probably wouldn’t have even found it.

 

“Hey it’s the ball I would play with” Kaoru says, chucking the tennis ball up into the air and catching it again.

Ryuu smiles before walking over to the place the ginger haired teen used to keep his book. Only to find it’s no longer there, his heart drops a little.

Nothing else has changed so where has the book gone?

He remembers leaving it in the exact space Kaoru did, unless someone took it when they both left. If that’s the case he _really_ hopes it’s in good hands.

 

“Ume”

The pinkette looks up, hearing a chuckle from Kaoru. “You still respond to it” he points out, placing the ball on the desk.

Ryuu rolls his eyes, walking over to him. He decides not to tell him about the book.

“You were the one that said that you would keep calling me after them” Ryuu replies, stopping in front of the taller teen. Kaoru smiles.

“Aw man, I’m really going to miss this place. I’ve become so used to being in this room that it feels wrong waking up somewhere else” the teen says looking around the room.

Ryuu has a feeling that he’s going to end up the same.

“But hey we had some good times in here, so as long as we don’t forget about it all’s good right?”

The pinkette nods, “it lives on” he smiles. Kaoru chuckles but smiles and nods.

 

“I guess this is goodbye then” Ryuu mumbles, feeling his eyes well up like they did the last time when he made his decision.

“I guess it is”

 

They’re quiet for a short while, both enjoying the last few moments they can in this room as they remember their time as souls.

“I wonder if Carla can see us” Kaoru says, reminding Ryuu of the two girls that aren’t family yet mean so much to him. They’re almost like his soul family in a way.

“And Ritsu” he adds on, Kaoru nods.

 

They don’t need to say anything out loud, they both know how each other feel as they look around their old room. It’s not long before Ryuu finds himself with tears rolling down his face.

“Hey, come on don’t cry” Kaoru says softly, a slight teasing manner in his tone. “What happened to it will live on in our hearts?”

Ryuu laughs through his tears, feeling Kaoru wrap his arm around his shoulders. The taller of the two pulls him into a hug, rubbing comforting circles on his back. “I know, I’ll just really miss it”

“So will I” Kaoru replies, his voice showing some sadness too. Until he gets an idea. “Hey let’s take a picture to remember!”

Ryuu wants to hit himself for not thinking of that sooner, it would save so much trouble. “I wish I had thought of that”

Kaoru simply chuckles taking out his phone.

 


	8. Chapter 8

“I still think he has it out for me” En mumbles, his head on the clubroom desk and his boyfriend by his side.

Said boyfriend sighing, “I don’t think so En-chan, Kin-chan hasn’t really got that aura of hate around you if you ask me”

En glances at him, wanting to say something along the lines of ‘You’ve known him since you were children and fail notice when he hates other people because you care about him too much’ but instead he says: “Maybe not to you but I think if you were to look closely, he secretly hates me. Though it’s not much of a secret”

Io just watches quietly, not doing anything. Not staring at his phone, or doing his stocks, reading or homework. He’s just sat with a blank face as he waits for everyone to be ready to go see Ryuu out of the hospital.

It seems the time has finally come.

After they spent so long trying to find a way to get him awake again, fighting off those who tried to harm him and learning new things related to him. After so long of Io praying for his best friend to be okay and sitting by his side almost every day.

 

But he doesn’t feel as excited as he should. He isn’t looking forward to going to the hospital again, or seeing Ryuu. Maybe it’s just the scared feeling he has that Ryuu hates him like the way En claims Kinshiro hates him, or maybe it’s the fact he’s accepted Ryuu most likely never wants to speak to him again. Whatever it is, it’s not a nice feeling.

He might as well feel the same as he did when Ryuu was in a coma.

 

“Maybe he wants to be your friend senpai!” Yumoto suggests, letting the pink alien creature go for once.

En sits up looking over his shoulder at the youngest member, “Kinshiro and friend in the same sentence is not a good combination”

Atsushi lightly hits the dirty blonde at that comment.

 

Even with all the talking, it’s still too quiet to Io. Even when the room has the student council in it, it still feels empty. How is it that Ryuu fills all of the silence and emptiness when he’s here? A lot of the time they normally sit in a comfortable silence. A silence that Io doesn’t mind.

Ryuu has really changed him, and now it’s looking to be a bad thing now that they’re no longer friends it seems. But the seven members that did all of this to wake Ryuu up, have yet to explain to the pinkette what happened. Really Io has still got a chance to redeem himself in Ryuu’s eyes.

Yet he just can’t tell him.

It was hard enough telling everyone else. The fact that Ryuu won’t even look at him doesn’t help this in the slightest, if this continues then Io feels he might have to get someone else to tell Ryuu.

 

In regards to En’s problem, Io thinks Atsushi and Yumoto are right. From Io’s point of view, there isn’t much to suggest Kinshiro hates En. Maybe before the whole conquest club thing, yes. But not now, if anything Io would say Kinshiro’s changed.

Clearly happier that Atsushi and him are friends again.

The looks he sends En don’t appear to be ones of full on hatred, they seem to be looks of jealously and want?

Sometimes when En catches Kinshiro’s glances and stares, the shorter teen glares and looks away with a tiny blush. Though Io thinks he might be the only one who has actually realised this.

All in all, Io really doesn’t think Kinshiro hates En.

But he’ll let the older boy figure that out himself.

 

“Kin-chan”

Io snaps himself out of his trance of thoughts, to see the student council members now present in the room. Meaning it’s time to go see Ryuu.

And once again feel his heart break more and more at the silence that distances them.

 

* * *

* * *

 

“Hey what time is it?” the pinkette asks once they had finished taking pictures.

“Coming up to three” Kaoru replies putting his phone away. A small gasp escapes Ryuu’s mouth as he quickly starts walking to the door,

“I need to get back, my grandma might already be here” he says as he does so.

Before either of the two leave the room fully, they pause. Taking one last look at the room that became a second home to them.

They don’t say anything, instead a goodbye smile spreads across their faces before they turn and leave.

 

As they get closer to Ryuu’s room, Kaoru slows down his pace. Ryuu, noticing this, slows down too. “Everything okay?” he asks, stopping when they make it to his hospital rom.

“I guess this should be the time we say bye too” Kaoru says with a sad smile.

“Why?” Ryuu asks quietly, not wanting to accept the fact they probably won’t see each other again for a good while. That’s going to take a hell of a lot to get used to.

His big brown eyes are almost pleading Kaoru not to go, making him feel like crying all over again.

“We live quite a bit away from each other, and before we know it we’ll have to go to school again. So who knows when we can see each other again” he replies managing to fight back his tears and wobbly voice.

“At least come inside for a little while longer” Ryuu says, his voice slightly shaky. It makes Kaoru feel bad, but from what he can see over his shoulder – the woman in Ryuu’s room must be his grandmother. He doesn’t want to seem like an intruder, at least not again.

“I think your grandma is in there” Kaoru points out, nodding in her direction. Ryuu follows his gaze to see it is in fact his grandmother, she looks worried enough as it is.

Sighing he looks back at the boy that has always been there for him throughout this bizarre experience. Not wanting to see him go another time.

“We’ll make it work” the ginger haired teen says, his smile looking slightly forced. “And we can call and message each other. Everything will be fine”

Ryuu doesn’t bother to hide his watery eyes as he bites his lip, what he’s said is true. They can talk over messenger or phone. This won’t be the last time they speak to each other, but it will be a while before they see each other again in person.

 

“Promise me…Promise me we’ll meet again” Ryuu says, his voice above a whisper and almost pleading.

“Of course we’ll meet again, silly. You mean too much to me for us not to, I’m already having a hard time waking up without you” Kaoru says pulling his friend into a hug.

Ryuu hugs back just as tight, burying his face in the taller teen’s chest.

“You didn’t promise” he mumbles, slightly muffled by Kaoru’s shirt. Said teen chuckling, running his hand through Ryuu’s hair one last time.

“I promise”

They both smile, pulling away from the hug. “Text me when you get home?” Kaoru asks. Ryuu nods.

 

“See you, Kaoru” he says, almost like the teen did when they were separated in the soul world.

Kaoru smiles a little wider, “See ya soon, Ryuu”

With one last hug, they both part ways. Smiles lingering a little longer until they can no longer see each other.

Leaving Ryuu to prepare himself for the arrival of the rest of his family members and friends, as well as his grandmother sat in his room with a worried look on her face.

 

* * *

 

 When everyone arrives, Ryuu is already dressed and sat on the hospital bed with his grandmother next to him. He greets everyone with a smile and some sort of ‘hey or yo’, although Akoya doesn’t overlook the fact that Ryuu didn’t particularly mean it towards Io.

Instead Akoya just sent Io a knowing look that said, ‘you have to explain what happened’ sighing when the teen looked away. It would probably take a while for things to be settled between the two, and Akoya’s somewhat sure that he’ll be the one explaining what happened. But it would be best for Io to do it, after all he was a big part of it.

 

“Where’s mom and dad?” Akoya asks the older woman as she stands up. He was sure that his parents said they’d come and meet them here as well.

“At home waiting” Noa replies, Akoya wants to roll his eyes but refrains from doing so. “Now that everyone’s here I’ll go talk to the doctor” she continues, after looking around, earning a nod from both pinkette’s before she walks out. Leaving _all_   Defence Club members, plus the student council, alone.

 

It’s quiet for a few seconds, as if everyone’s trying to think of what to say.

Akoya hasn’t told any of the defence club members about Ryuu forgetting him or how the doctor said he might suffer from memory loss. If Ryuu wants to tell them he can, they’re his friends after all.

As for _his_ friends, they’re still supportive as ever. Probably more so since he told them Ryuu almost forgot him. He really appreciates it, especially from Kinshiro as he isn’t the type to show much of a caring side. He still somehow did it in his own way, unlike Arima who somewhat openly showed how concerned he was.

 

“Senpai! Are you excited to go home?” Yumoto asks breaking the silence.

The smile that appears on Ryuu’s face looks forced, Akoya’s been around him long enough to know that.

“Kinda, but it’s going to be just as boring there as it is here” the pinkette replies fiddling with his Loveracelet.

“Maybe if you feel well enough you can come with us to the bath house again!” the youngest of the 8 suggests, his face holding his trademark grin.

Ryuu chuckles, “We’ll see”

 

“Do you know when you’ll be able to come back to school?” Atsushi asks.

Ryuu shakes his head, “Whenever my parents want me to I guess” he says. Thinking about it now, there must have been so much he’s missed out on. What if he has to repeat a year?

“We can get together the school work you missed if you wish” Kinshiro suggests, something Akoya doesn’t know if he should consider typical of him right away.

Ryuu makes a face that shows he probably doesn’t want that to happen, “You’ll need it, trust me” the long haired teen says to his half-brother. “With your grades as it is” he adds on, earning an eye roll from the pierced boy.

It’s fairly obvious what wants to be said whilst they’re all here together. But no one makes a move to ask the question.

Ryuu needs to know about what happened whilst he was in a coma, for his safety too.

They still need to know about Masahiko, and who this Kaoru guy is.

And most of all, Io and Ryuu need to repair their friendship.

Their friendship that is slowly reducing to nothing as the days go on.

 

“Hey, did the doctors say anything about your condition?” En asks, him being the one to fill the silence this time.

Ryuu glances over at the dirty blonde, “Not much to me, other than the fact I had broken ribs, I should take it easy with my wrist and I might have some other troubles that shouldn’t be so severe”

Akoya knows more about his condition than he does it seems, maybe he should talk to their parents about that.

En nods.

For a split second, Akoya sees Ryuu glance over at Io. But his gaze quickly averts to something else, and Io’s eyes show a brief bit of hurt over that.

Once again Akoya sighs, just as the door opens again.

 

“Well Strawberry, you’re free to go”


	9. Chapter 9

“Kaoru?”

The younger twin looks up to see Hikaru dressed in school uniform, ready to leave. “I’m leaving now, I’ll see you later yeah?”

Kaoru nods not missing the little hurt look in Hikaru’s eyes at the lack of response. The older of the two bites his lip before nodding and walking out of their shared room, closing the door softly behind him.

Kaoru sighs running his hand through his long, already messy, hair.

Not talking to Hikaru is hard, a lot harder than he initially thought. But Hikaru is taking it a lot better than he thought he would too, with his hot headedness and all. Although some part of Kaoru wants Hikaru to try a little harder, he almost feels like Hikaru is behaving the oblivious way he did before the accident. _Almost_. Kaoru can still see the small sad stares and the hurt look in his eyes, he knows that it is effecting the older boy. He isn’t same as he was before.

Don’t get him wrong, he doesn’t hate Hikaru. There isn’t a single fibre in his body that could possibly even dislike his older brother. But for some reason Kaoru doesn’t want to face the reality that’s in front of him now.

He doesn’t want to come to terms of the ‘accident’ that took place or how he and Hikaru didn’t part on the greatest of terms. He doesn’t want to explain the way he feels or how strange it is for him to be alive right now. He doesn’t want to tell Hikaru about the nightmares from that day, or the bullies before that day.

He doesn’t want to break down anymore.

But Hikaru should know how much he missed him whilst he was in that coma. Hikaru should know that he doesn’t hate him or blame him for what happened. Hikaru should know how much he wants their relationship to go back to the way it was before.

Hikaru should know how much he loves him.

 

But for that to happen, Kaoru’s going to have to get himself together and _tell_ him. That’s what he’s struggling with.

And he knows it’s hurting Hikaru just as much as it’s hurting him.

 

Sighing, he reaches over for his phone and clicks on a familiar contact.

 

**To: Little Flower**

_Hey are you free to talk?_

 

Little Flower is the nickname Kaoru gave to Ryuu. After comparing him to many flowers he decided this nickname suited him best, though he’ll probably call him after the flowers he did before from time to time.

Wow it’s been a while since he last saw Ryuu.

They’ve been talking every day since Ryuu messaged him saying he was home now. Kaoru wonders if he’s settled down again, like he’s starting to after however long it’s been. He wonders if Ryuu has the same home sick feeling he does despite being home already. He wonders if Ryuu is having any troubles with his friends or family like he is.

When they talk, they talk about random things and whatever they’re feeling at that particular time. They don’t talk about the facts they need to face, or the reality before them. It’s as if they’re both trying avoid it.

Now that he thinks about it, Kaoru doesn’t know how Ryuu ended up in hospital in the first place. And Ryuu doesn’t know how Kaoru ended up in hospital. That’s something that they should have asked when they met each other again in real life.

Did they simply forget about it? Or is it once again them trying to avoid reality?

All Kaoru knows is that he can’t continue living like this. Avoiding his brother and keeping his feelings hidden away. No he did too much of that before the accident, and we all know how that turned out.

He won’t get another chance if something like that happens again. So he needs to make the most of his decision now.

 

**From: Little Flower**

_Yeah, wanna Skype?_

 

That’s another thing they discovered recently, Skype. A way for them to video call and actually see each other rather than always messaging each other or having normal phone calls from time to time.

It allows them to feel closer to each other despite being miles away.

It definitely helps Kaoru with the homesick feeling he sometimes gets. When he often reminiscences his time at the ‘Hospital for souls’ and all the people he met. It makes him realise how important it is to actually be kind and meet new people, unlike how he was before the host club along with his brother.

It seems Kaoru is definitely one for making close friends and not just ordinary ones.

 

**To: Little Flower**

_Mhm_

 

He misses Ryuu. He misses waking up to his pink fluffy hair, and having his presence around. He misses the jokes they shared together and just sitting in comfortable silence with him. He misses the hand holding and resting heads on each other’s shoulders. He misses hearing about what Ryuu remembered.

Really he misses how they were as souls.

But they can build on that friendship now in real life, where they don’t have to worry about a certain time limit of how long they’ll be there for. Or if they’ll remember everything.

They can find out more about each other, do normal things together that they can only do in the real world.

 

It wasn’t long before a sound is coming from his laptop signalling a Skype call. Kaoru quickly gets up from his bed to answer it before bringing it back over to his bed so he can get comfortable again.

Neither of them are back at school yet, and when family or friends go out it does get lonely/ boring sometimes. So it usually ended up with them talking to each other until someone comes home, which is often for a few hours.

When Kaoru looks at his screen, he’s a little confused to just see a room and not Ryuu.

 

“Ryuu?” he asks. He hears some shuffling and a bump of something followed by – ‘ouch’ before Ryuu is in his sight on the screen.

“Hi!” he smiles. Kaoru smiles back, taking in his friend’s appearance.

Ryuu’s hair is down, like it always was back when they were souls. He has what appears to be an old large shirt on, and comfortable looking shorts on showing his pale legs. Kaoru almost wants to tell Ryuu to go outside and catch some light, but he has been in hospital for heaven knows how long and it would be a bit hypocritical for him to say as he’s very pale himself.

“Hey” Kaoru replies, yet again running his hand through his hair.

“Sorry, I had to close the door and I tripped on something” Ryuu explains, earning a chuckle from the ginger haired teen. “Yes I’m fine thanks for asking” he says sarcastically only causing Kaoru to laugh a little more.

“It’s obvious your fine, you’re here smiling aren’t you?” Kaoru says.

“Yeah, yeah. Anyway, what’s up? You look troubled. Miss me that much?” Ryuu asks teasingly, getting an eye roll from his younger friend.

“Don’t flatter yourself” Kaoru says, laughing at the gasp that comes from the pinkette.

He already feels better just talking to Ryuu for a minute.

“I miss you too” says the pinkette, sarcasm in his tone once again. “But seriously, are you okay?”

Kaoru sighs, looking down at the scars on his arm. That’s another thing he’s surprised Hikaru didn’t mention. He has seen the stares his brother has been giving them, but not once has Hikaru said anything about them. It’s as if he’s actually waiting for Kaoru to open up to him rather than taking his own actions to find out like usual.

He really has changed since Kaoru was in a coma.

 

“I don’t know…what to do about Hikaru…” he starts, biting the inside of his cheek.

“What do you mean?” Ryuu asks when he realises Kaoru isn’t going to say anything more.

“I’ve been avoiding talking to anyone since I woke up from my coma. And everything just feels so strange and awkward. I know Hikaru wants to talk to me about what happened and what’s happening now, but it’s like he’s waiting on me to start the conversation which is unlike him” Kaoru continues, slowly looking back up at Ryuu.

“I don’t want to face…well reality. I’m not ready but at the same time I’m dying to talk to Hikaru, I want things to go back to the way they were before. It’s hard not being as close as we were before, it’s hard having to deal with him again after what happened.”

Ryuu is silent for a few seconds, as if thinking of what to say.

 

“I…I know how you feel. It’s weird how much I understand you right now. My situation is so similar. I don’t want to face reality either, but I know I have to talk to my friends about everything sooner or later. And Io…I should probably speak to him too but I don’t think I can just yet. But I want everything to be normal again and I have to talk to them for that to happen.” He starts, pausing for a short while.

Kaoru stares at him in a slight shock. “How about this…if you talk to Hikaru-”

“- then you talk to your friends and Io” Kaoru finishes, getting over his small shock at how similar they really are.

Ryuu nods, “Maybe we can find a time to meet up and talk about how it goes in person”

Kaoru nods too. “So your goal is to talk to your friends” he reiterates.

“And yours is to talk to Hikaru” says the pinkette.

 

It’s going to be hard, but now that they both realise they’re practically in the same situation – it’s going to be easier to support each other through it.

Until they can finally face reality and their friends.

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know Skype is old but it in this fic they don't have fancy iPhones like us so they can't FaceTime, meaning Skype it is!


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